Alkaline, nickel, lead-acid, lithium, cadmium, the list goes on and on… Batteries are made from all kinds of elements and materials and are used in an even bigger list of household items. Most of us do not think twice before tossing batteries into our trash cans after they have been all used up. What’s the harm?
On average, the United States sells over 3 billion household batteries a year. Of these billions of batteries, only about 5% are recycled. When improperly disposed of, batteries pollute our environment, can cause fires in garbage trucks, and even cause fires in traditional recycling facilities. It is important to be mindful of battery disposal for environmental and human health and safety.
On a positive note, 99% of wet-cell batteries are recycled annually. Wet-cell batteries are what you find in cars, lawn equipment, and boats. There are over 99 million wet-cell batteries sold annually in the U.S. The high recycling rate comes from state laws requiring sellers accept returned batteries and, in Michigan, that includes reimbursement to the customer.
Batteries of all shapes, sizes, and materials can cause harm to our environments in many ways. Follow along as we look at different battery scenarios.
Lost to the wilderness
While camping in the woods, a family had their flashlight run out of batteries. Thankfully, they came prepared with extras. Thinking all the dead batteries were packed up, the family journeyed back home. Unfortunately, one sneaky little battery, Battery C, fell out – finding a new home in the woods.
Years passed as Battery C endured rain, snow, falling leaves, curious animals, and cars and feet crushing it into the ground. Battery C started to crack and break down – corroding into the earth. Battery acid seeped its way into the soil and quickly washed into the nearby river.
The result of little lost Battery C is heavy metals like zinc, manganese dioxide, and steel infiltrating the soil and water. As we continue experiencing higher levels of metals in our water, the fish we eat also build up toxic levels of metals. This causes declines in our fish populations and other animals of prey like bears and hawks that eat the fish. Even humans can experience severe illness from eating contaminated fish or deer who drink the water. The harm to our food systems is irreversible.
Trashed
Battery AA lost his life after a long run in the family radio. AA was tossed in the trash and quickly forgotten. After a few days, the bag was tossed into the trash bin outside in the heat. It was a scorching hot summer and Battery AA was sweating, squished, and covered in hot food and other trash.
When the garbage man finally came to pick up the trash, Battery AA thought he might explode from the heat. Next thing he feels is the pressure of the trash being compacted. POP! Sssssss! Battery AA cracked and started leaking… all the liquids in the truck are mixing with the battery juices and have started dripping out onto the street.
The result of trashed Battery AA is heavy metals like zinc, manganese dioxide, and steel mixing into the soils. Imagine a farm field full of the metal filled water from the garbage truck. The heavy metals can be absorbed by the crops like fruits and veggies we eat. Metals in our bodies can cause a variety of illnesses for long term effects.
MRF – Materials Recovery Facility
Battery Lithium lives in Ms. Smith’s tablet and has stopped charging in his old age. Ms. Smith was told her electronics are recyclable, so she tosses the old tablet, with Battery Lithium inside, into her curbside recycling bin.
Recycling pick-up day comes the next morning and Battery Lithium is dumped into the truck. It gets knocked around and broken after being bounced around and smashed throughout the ride. Once Battery Lithium arrives at the recycling facility, also called a Material Recovery Facility (MRF – “Murf”), it makes its way to the sorting line.
Knocked around, flipped, and crushed, Battery Lithium continues rolling along the line. Eventually, Lithium starts overheating and begins smoking. Within minutes, the surrounding recycling (paper, cardboard, and more) catches fire.
The fire quickly spreads and causes tons of recycling to go up in flames, damage to equipment and many workers and people put in damage. While batteries are recyclable, batteries, and electronics, do not go with your regular household recycling.
The Happy Place
Jacob has been hard at work for the past year and finally wore out the batteries in his computer mouse. Battery AAA was removed promptly and replaced. Jacob packed up AAA and his friends in a ziplock bag for safe keeping.
A week later, Jacob visited his local library to check out a new book. On his way in, Jacob dropped off his batteries in the conveniently placed battery recycling box located in the library vestibule.
Battery AAA and his friends packed up in their baggie inside the box didn’t have to worry about being tossed around or crushed. They enjoyed the cool indoor temperatures until making their way to the battery recycling facility.
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At battery recycling facilities, batteries are broken down to separate all their components. These components, both valuable and reusable, are then sent to companies to be made into new products.
While batteries are popular and enrich our lives in many ways, it’s important to take care in disposing of them. We want to keep our water and earth safe from pollution and chemicals and facilities and people safe from fires. In the past year, there has been a large increase in battery fires throughout the country and continues to be a threat.
Let’s all do our part to protect ourselves, our water and earth, other people, and recyclers by recycling our batteries right.
Find your battery recycling opportunities near you by visiting our Recycling Guides page : Vanburencd.org/recycling-guides/
